3D Sonar Sees Objects Overlooked by Costlier Sensors

A dream of robotic fish inspires inexpensive automated-driving sensing technology that works for the critical areas close to the vehicle.

Alexander Rudoy was spending almost every hour of his free time developing a robotic toy fish that could sense its underwater surroundings. At that time a decade ago, he was studying electromechanical engineering at the Munich University of Applied Sciences, where he earned a Masters degree in 2015. Rudoy never finished his robo-guppy, but even before graduating, he founded Toposens, a company that now utilizes the guppy's underlying close-distance ultrasound technology for a wide range of vital automated-vehicle operations.

Rudoy and his partners at Toposens - managing director Tobias Bahnemann and head of development Rinaldo Perichini - have been promoting the need for a cost-effective near-distance sensor for vehicles and robots for about three years. The response from auto companies, which are primarily focusing on higher-speed, long-range automated functions, was muted.